
Jered Weaver (left) and C.J. Wilson (center) are assured of spots when the Angels go back to a five-man rotation (Getty Images).
Save the date: June 7.
That’s when the Angels will begin a six-game road trip through Boston and Baltimore. It’s also the next time the Angels will employ a five-man rotation.
Manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday that he’s putting off the decision of which of his six starters to boot from the rotation for now. Tommy Hanson will start Friday against the Houston Astros, followed by Jerome Williams on Saturday, C.J. Wilson on Sunday, Joe Blanton on Monday, Jered Weaver on Tuesday and Jason Vargas on Wednesday — so long as everyone stays in turn.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are pitching well,” Scioscia said. “We want to keep some guys in rhythm but also it gives us a chance for some guys to refresh who have been grinding a bit. We’ll go with six men up until the off-day then we’ll re-evaluate for the road trip.”
Scioscia will not use six starters after that point, but wouldn’t say who will be the odd man out. He came close to narrowing it down, though.
“We’ll wait until we get there to see just how guys are,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a tryout scenario for this week, but we definitely need some guys to — Tommy Hanson obviously needs to get back out there, Joe Blanton looks like he’s turning a corner. Jerome’s been very steady. This is a problem we haven’t had this season.”